Access from Vail: Travel west on I-70 to Exit 171 for Minturn, Leadville, and Hwy 24. Exit here and turn right (south) onto Hwy 24. Proceed south about 1 mile and the trailhead parking lot on the right is immediately after the
MeadowMountainBusinessPark which is across the street.

Trail Highlights: The trail follows a dirt road for the first .25 miles. At this point the road curves left, but the trail continues straight to a junction at .7 miles. At this junction, the Grouse Lake Trail goes left, but stay right for the West Grouse Creek trail. This trail climbs along West Grouse Creek through pastureland before entering dense stands of pine, fir and spruce. The trail climbs steeply past Waterdog and
OlsenLakes crossing the north ridge of Grouse Mountain then drops down to
TurquoiseLakes and the headwaters of Beaver Creek.

Attractions/Considerations: This trail offers travel through forest and along the West Grouse Creek with possible side trips to
WaterdogLake,
OlsenLake, or
GrouseMountain. It also offers a nice loop tour by combining the
MeadowMountain and West Grouse Creek trails: See the Meadow/Grouse Loop information sheet for details.